It's been a fairly good trip down the road of Pat Benatar over these past couple of days, and I'd say it's also been lucrative in terms of finding some good tunes to add to my shuffle list. Sadly, my IPOD has also been missing for the past two weeks, and I can't for the life of me find it.
Prior to releasing her fourth studio album in 1984, Benatar first delivered the 1983 live album, Live From Earth. With it came two exclusive studio tracks, and a music video that would hit hard on MTV. That song was, Love Is A Battlefield. Musically, pop friendly, radio ready. Lyrically, a deep-rooted look at domestic abuse. The track would peak at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the charts for twenty-two weeks. It would also reach number one on the Billboard Rock charts, holding that position for four weeks.
This success served as a piggyback for Tropico upon its release, which would become her fifth consecutive platinum selling studio album, but sixth, including the aforementioned live album. Its lead single, We Belong flew up the charts in multiple countries, peaking at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Critics praised the track, and the album as a whole, for its softer and sophisticated direction, with Pat and husband Neil stating it was their first to intentionally move away from hard rock.
A second single, Ooh Ooh Song, followed. However, it was not as successful, reaching number thirty-six in the USA, but failing elsewhere. Following the success of We Belong, Love Is A Battlefield was re-released as a single in the UK and became her highest charting song in that country.
I'm not much into ballad slow type songs, but I will admit We Belong is the reason I bought Tropico. I dare say that Pat is one of the few artists from the 80's where regardless the album you buy, you're going to get a hit. I think only the legacy type artists can truly claim that, and I suppose in hindsight, I would label her as legacy.
While I would have preferred to hear a more hard rock friendly release, I can at least get behind tracks like the above hit, Painted Desert, Love In The Ice Age. When taken into consideration with her discography as a whole, or rather, the tracks I prefer from it, it makes for a well-crafted greatest hits album with a little heavy, a little soft, and of course, all the deep topical matters that come with them all. As for the album as a standalone, I don't know that it would be my go-to.
Songs do pick up the tempo, such as A Crazy World Like This, and Ooh Ooh Song. However, the rockability style of the latter, in light of the softer tone of the rest, kind of feels out of place. Frankly, with how unique it is to the majority of her work, I don't know that it would necessarily fit in anywhere on any of her albums.
It doesn't appear that Benatar embarked on any type of tour, which would be understandable coming off of forty shows in 1983. Instead, it appears she went right back to the studio to begin work on what would become her sixth studio release, 1985's Seven The Hard Way.
With that, there's not much to say until we get to that album tomorrow.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS November 25, 1989 |
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